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Brake Issues

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Classicalme, Oct 13, 2018.

  1. Classicalme

    Classicalme Junior Member

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    Last month my brakes had to be replaced. The Rear Right brakepad was completely worn down and the shop called to tell me they'd damaged the rear right caliper so it was replaced at a chain brake place in Northern Ca. $750 for brake pads on all four tires, the RR caliper, and the brake fluid flush.

    I'd been hearing a sucking sound after I picked up the car whenever I'd brake but when I called to check on this, he said it was a normal sound.

    I'm up in higher altitude in Nevada visiting family and my E Brake light would turn on whenever I went over a speed hump in her complex. I came to a four way stop and my brakes basically failed when I came to a stop. The dash lit up, the as light came on, and I had to apply lots of pressure to stop it. I immediately pulled over but the lights turned off, the brakes started working again.

    So I took the car to the chain tire shop that I'd brought me car to last time here while I'm visiting my family Turns out that the rear left caliper has been leaking brake fluid this entire time and that's why my brakes failed. It's going to be another $370 on you because of the labor and another brake fluid flush.

    On top of that, they said that there might have been damage done to the master cylinder because of the fluid levels and if that happens, it'll be $3,000 for the part alone.

    Isn't this something the last shop should have caught? I'm miffed because this is costing me more in labor and another brake fluid flush, could have done damage to the master cylinder, and I could have died! The shop here in Nevada said they typically only replace in calipers in pairs but they weren't sure about CA.

    Still, I'm glad it happened going 20mph instead of when I was dropping in 7k feet of elevation tomorrow! I'd have died!
     
    #1 Classicalme, Oct 13, 2018
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  2. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    How were brake fluid levels before and after brake replacement?
     
    #2 Grit, Oct 14, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
  3. tvpierce

    tvpierce Senior Member

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    This seems odd to me. When a brake pad is completely worn, the metal backing of the pad contacts the disk/rotor scoring it, requiring disk/rotor be replaced. This generally does not damage the caliper. I suppose if it went on long enough, and go hot enough, the heat gernerated could have melted the dust boot and compromised the seal... but I've never heard of that happening.

    Are you sure it was the parking brake indicator, and not the brake fluid indicator?

    Yes, the first shop should have caught this if it was leaking at the time they replaced the pads on that side. However, it may not have been leaking then. Or more precisely, it may have developed the leak when they retracted the caliper to install the new pads.

    The second shop is correct: when it comes to brake work -- be it pads, rotors, or calipers -- it is standard practice to replace parts on both the left and right sides together even if only one side has failed. It's not a state-by-state law as far as I know, it's just good practice. I've never heard of a shop that doesn't at least recommend it.
     
    #3 tvpierce, Oct 14, 2018
  4. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    A caliper could be damaged if the pad goes to metal because the puck is pushed out further that it's
    designed to go which could damage the seal, the puck, and the housing. Saw it happen on a Jaguar I believe it was....
     
    #4 ASRDogman, Oct 14, 2018
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    don't trust your brakes to hybrid amateurs
     
    #5 bisco, Oct 14, 2018
  6. Classicalme

    Classicalme Junior Member

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    I typically check it once a month. They'd always been fine before and it was fine of course when I checked it last month. Didn't get to check it this month before this happened.

    Well, it was the same light that comes on when the parking brake is engaged but maybe it means something else?
     
    #6 Classicalme, Oct 14, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 14, 2018
  7. Classicalme

    Classicalme Junior Member

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    Also, they'd said the calipers was damaged when they removed it, not from the metal on metal. Everything else was fine including the rotor.

    My car's brakes never chirped and there was no indication of brake Issues until the grinding and it got taken to the shop right away.

    Dealer had quoted $1500 for new brake pads and a flush...so eff that noise.
     
    #7 Classicalme, Oct 14, 2018
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    A sucking/whooshing/squirting sort of sound when you apply the brakes might suggest to me that they didn't spend as much time on bleeding air from the brake lines as they needed to.

    In grandpa's car, if you had any air in the lines, you would know it right from the way the pedal felt. You were only making the brake pressure by pushing a piston with the pedal, so if there was an air bubble in there, the pedal would be quite soft and go down too easily while you compressed the bubble, and only then get any force to the brakes.

    The Prius system is different, because it has a can of fluid kept under pressure by a pump. You press the pedal and the car opens some valves to let the pressurized fluid into the lines, and if there's air in a line, more fluid than usual will squirt into that line to squish the bubble and bring the pressure up, but it comes from the can and you don't necessarily feel anything different at the pedal.

    So, my plan of action would be (1) make the caliper not leak, (2) flush and bleed the system thoroughly, using the more thorough choice on the bleed menu in Techstream, the one that's meant for when the master cylinder or accumulator has been changed. The idea is to get all the air out, including any that might have been drawn in at the reservoir if it got low there because of the leak.

    -Chap
     
    #8 ChapmanF, Oct 14, 2018
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